Gates and gatekeepers
The dead were expected to travel through a series of underworld gates, meeting various demon gatekeepers on the way. It was important that they knew how to find these gates, the names of the gatekeepers, and what to say to each of them in order to pass through. This knowledge was found in the Book of the Dead.
Spell 146 from the Book of the Dead belonging to a person named Horemakhbit
Papyrus
New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty (about 1186 BCE - 1069 BCE)
From Thebes
National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden
© National Museum of Antiquities, the Netherlands
Spell 146 contains the passwords for moving through each of the '21 Portals' of Osiris. Each portal (gateway) is individually guarded by its doorkeeper and is shown as an elaborate entranceway.
